Smartphone Samsung i600 - impressionsA new smartphone Samsung i600 from famous Korean manufacturer appeared on the Russian market several weeks ago, but I was lucky to use this device already in winter.In this article I’d like to share my pleasant impressions and touch upon difficulties I had to face while using the gadget as my main phone. I have to confess that I’m not a professional in the field of mobile devices, that’s way the article contains only impressions of the handset. At first glance At first glance the device seemed to be big and clumsy to me. In fact, Samsung i600 is rather larger than the gadgets I had before. But after several days using the phone, I didn’t notice dimensions, as the hand got used to the unusual wide casing. At first I even contrived to type messages single-handedly (apparently, because I hadn’t worked with QWERY-keyboard before). It seems to me, that women should weight all pros and cons before prefer this model – as their hands will have to get used to the 58mm width. As for me, even after several weeks constant using, I still felt some discomfort in the hand after long talk. Evidently, smartphones with similar dimensions will not be popular among femmes exactly because of the their width, that doesn’t fit a small female hand.  I can’t say that the phone created a furor among my friends. Probably, they liked plenty of buttons (after all, the market is still doesn’t flooded with mobile phones shipped with QWERTY-keyboard, that’s way these devices still impress the majority of “not advanced” users). Also they appreciated the fact, that the display is on the wide side, as it brings a kind of variety. Casing It took time to get used to the design of the casing . But I at once liked colour most of all. I hold black color in respect, especially when it is a pure colour without mixing. I liked design of Samsung gadgets, as their attraction is not so clear at first glance. When you are looking through all mobile phones in the special shop, you catch sight of the creations in black casing of this Korean manufacturer only in the end. But when you start using them, you will fill with respect to their austere, refined design. Most of all I like them, as the devices have nothing superfluous, that can be an eyesore to you or can become boring after long using. The majority of phones abound in decorations, as manufacturers often try to attract customers not with modern technologies, but glaring design, e.g. different colours, sparkles, patterns and so on. And I don’t speak about top-level gadgets, where creative ideas are not limited, but to me these solutions are not always skilful and appropriate. So I liked design of Samsung i600 so much, that now I compare in my mind each new devise with it. Though people say that we shouldn’t put anything on a pedestal, it is hard to me to imagine that I have to use another handset.  Problems From this very positive things I have to move on to the negative experience, namely to the things that were inconvenient and even disappointed me. The biggest disappointment happened two days before I wrote this article – the latch however comes off. Of course, it was evident, that it would happened soon – after 3 weeks in use the latch, glued to the rubber stripe connecting it with the gadget, came to unstuck. I have only one explanation to it – when I put the handset into the jack, then latch jutted a little out, it was at an angle of thirty degrees to the casing. So when I pulled it in and out of the pocket, the latch was in danger. I tried to glue it myself, but the end was nevertheless sad. But I can’t say that it affected the appearance of my phone badly, without it I had nothing to worry about and the phone doesn’t stick in my pocket.  Another problem was with the call end button. After a month it settled and now it is a little lower than the other and crackles distinctly. It is a trifle, but unpleasant one. The screen is also not so perfect. Tough it is colourful and bright in the room, under the bright sun it gets darker, and turns into something grey-and-black and indistinct. It is very unpleasant, especially when you receive an incoming call and because of poor screen you can’t make out who calls you.  Also I was exasperated by the using the handset. While talking I had to hold the microphone almost near the mouth, approx 5 cm. So free hands and comfort were out of the question. Even when I fixed the handset on the collar the interlocutor heard me indistinctly. Also I can’t but say about easily soiled back cover of the device. In spite of its advantages, soft-touch plastic gets muddy very fast. You constantly have to rub out finger prints and scratches from the body of the phone. The self-portrait mirror also quickly covered with small scratches. Numerous finger prints on the screen you can easily wipe , but they appeared as easily and quickly as you rub them off.  In general, I haven’t noticed another disadvantages. Signs on the buttons staid clear without any abrasion , as if the gadget was bought just now. Strange as it may seem, but the screen also remained glossy, without scratches and spots, though I used to carry it almost all the time in the handbag or in the pocket, sometimes even with the keys. Positive To the positive experience I can refer impact resistance of the handset. Though the phone fell many times, it behaved with fortitude – didn’t turn off, didn’t scratch and nothing came off. With each fall the cover of the battery rebounded, but under natural condition to open it meant a lot of trouble for me. Apparently, we can blame for it the undeveloped mechanism of the fastening. During the work the shortcut wheel located on the right edge proved to be good. You can’t help enjoying the shortcut to the menu. And the tactile feelings from rotation the wheel are much better, than those from tiresome pressing the buttons. At first sight the keyboard seems to be uncomfortable (too small buttons). At the second sight you made sure that you supposition was right. The keys fit rather small female hand, than mighty male one. If you are going to buy i600, it is sensible to try the keyboard in the shop to make sure that it fits you well. As for me, I got used to it quickly and soon I speedy type with two hands my SMS.  Multimedia I frequently used Windows Media Player. This program is more than enough to listen to the podcasts. Built-in program Podcast, contrary to my expectations, is unable to play media-files. It can be used only to download them from the Internet. I can’t be objective while charging the sound, but for me it was good enough. The handset as an ancient Greek orator can override the noise of running water and uproar in the public transport. But I really missed FM-radio. It is nice to go out of doors in the morning, switch on the radio and plunge into a new day.  Another multimedia function proved to be a weak point of the gadget. To download the program I need approx 4 minutes, but for me it seemed to be too long. From my own experience – I tried to photograph a duck. I could make a good picture, but I failed, as for those 4 minutes the model (duck) floated away for unattainable distance. The pictures you can view only in the smartphone and use them as the wallpaper. As a background I have picture of pigeons swimming in the puddle, that I made myself. But of course, we can’t expect higher quality in this handset. To say the truth, while using the device I didn’t require another programs. As I didn’t view documents and pictures in the smartphone very often, for me built-in Picsel Viewer was enough. You can easily visit a couple of sites in a week with Internet Explorer.  It was nice to see the program reminding of different events and birthdays. Unlike the standard calendar the program is more clear and, what is important for me, can depict plain bright signs for different occasions. This, for certain, simplifies the search by data, for example if you need to find event, meeting or friend’s birthday.   In a day I spoke approx 30 minutes plus dozens of SMS and about 3 hours of listening to music and podcasts. In general with these work the battery lasted two or one and half days. The result is not so impressive if you compare it with common phones, but if you refuse the multimedia functions, the gadget can work up to three days. Conclusion In general Samsung i600 made good impression on me. In spite of some shortcomings it is nice to deal with. You get used to it very soon and don’t think of changing the gadget. The handset probably doesn’t generate considerable public excitement, but I’d like to purchase it. The model is well-balanced and functionality doesn’t make it bulky. Its dimensions are acceptable not only to men, but even to women. Another important detail is that the smartphone suits people, who haven’t used similar gadgets. As for me, I smoothly switched from a common phone to Windows Mobile–based one. I hadn’t difficulties in understanding the principles of work. I think, that its main secret is the good design and the set of built-in programs. © Written by Tichonova Arina, Mobiset.ru Published — 13 July 2007 |
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